It's been over 10 years since my last ride out west and I have been itching to go back. Reading ride reports and seeing all the spectacular pictures posted by all of you lucky to ride and /or live out there has just made it worse for me. In less than two weeks I'll be starting a 2 week loop through the Southwest on my Versys 650 Yes, I am excited!

I'm going to start my thread now to cover pre ride planning and then will update every night if possible during my trip.

My trusty steed for this trip will be my 2012 Versys which I bought new last summer:

In the pic above I had my camping gear on it but I will be moteling it on this trip. I am still working on what I will be bringing on this trip as I am likely to be riding through temperatures from the 30s up to the 90s.

Of course this schedule is subject to change due to weather or any other reason that seems like a good idea to me. I am putting out this schedule well in advance because a few people have expressed interest in meeting me somewhere along the way. Of course I am always glad to have the opportunity to meet other inmates and riding enthusiasts. My old riding partner who appeared in many of my early dual sport ride reports now lives in UT and plans on riding along for a few days in Utah.

Some thoughts about the schedule above. Most of the distances from one town to the next aren't that long. I am not planning on always taking the shortest route and want to have time to stop and see interesting stuff along the way. I WILL be taking a lot of pictures. On my previous trip out west I only had cheap 35mm camera's and didn't take that many pics.

This will primarily be a street ride but expect to ride a few dirt roads to include the Moki Dugway and part of the White Rim Trail.

So on your current route on Day 6th from Torrey to Blanding, if you got off hwy 95 and headed south on 261 towards Mexican Hat, you would hit it. I've managed to hit it twice in different years going each direction and it's quite the sight to see.

So on your current route on Day 6th from Torrey to Blanding, if you got off hwy 95 and headed south on 261 towards Mexican Hat, you would hit it. I've managed to hit it twice in different years going each direction and it's quite the sight to see.

Love that part of the U.S.! Curious about the Huntsville to ABQ and back to Huntsville part though. (Or is that just nosy?) Thanks for sharing. I can't wait to ride out there.

Click to expand...

I'm going to cheat and put my bike in the back of my truck. I'll leave my truck with my BIL in ABQ. If I had a lot more time I'd ride the whole way but I don't so I want to get out and back a quickly as possible without wearing myself, or my tires out.

I'm going to cheat and put my bike in the back of my truck. I'll leave my truck with my BIL in ABQ. If I had a lot more time I'd ride the whole way but I don't so I want to get out and back a quickly as possible without wearing myself, or my tires out.

I live in Phoenix area and most of what you are doing is a mere 150 miles away. Marble Canyon going up Hwy 89a to Jacob Lake is great. The road down to the North Rim is also great with some big sweepers. It can be taken at a brisk pace. I think the North rim is more spectacular than South and far less tour buses as it is a bit harder to get too. Heading over to Monument valley is a little boring until you get there. North to Mexican Hat is Ok. The fun starts when you head west on Hwy 95 through Hite and on up to Hanksville. That is a very fast road with great turns and reasonably great pavement. There were a lot of tar snakes on the top half that are bothersome. Try to hit that on early on a weekday to avoid the usual campers, boats etc going to Lake Powell. The rode from Hanksville to Torrey is in my top 10. Great level turns not to tight but they might test the pegs. The only problem is the scenery at that point coming into Capitol Reef NP is so incredible it's hard not to look:eek1.. Torrey to Bryce on hwy 12 is also incredible. If you have any fear if heights that "hogback" section of that road is a tester. I do and that is why I am not attempting 261 out if Mexican Hat..I'm a big fan of guard rails between me and a 1000 ft drop! That whole area might be some of the best in the country. Only problem is looks of summer RV and tour bus traffic. Enjoy...

Looking forward to riding a few more twisties with you old buddy. Glad I won't have to drive out with you like we did during our 2005 Moab trip. It's been a few years since I've been thru the red rocks of southern Utah. The last time unfortunately was in a car. This time will be wayyyyy more fun on my "classic" 2004 V-Strom 650. See you in June.

As a fellow Versys rider (2011) I am glad to see another vee out there on ADV rider. I am taking a trip to Nova Scotia and PEI in Sept. Looking forward to your ride reports and pictures! Why did you decide not to camp?

I live in Phoenix area and most of what you are doing is a mere 150 miles away. Marble Canyon going up Hwy 89a to Jacob Lake is great. The road down to the North Rim is also great with some big sweepers. It can be taken at a brisk pace. I think the North rim is more spectacular than South and far less tour buses as it is a bit harder to get too. Heading over to Monument valley is a little boring until you get there. North to Mexican Hat is Ok. The fun starts when you head west on Hwy 95 through Hite and on up to Hanksville. That is a very fast road with great turns and reasonably great pavement. There were a lot of tar snakes on the top half that are bothersome. Try to hit that on early on a weekday to avoid the usual campers, boats etc going to Lake Powell. The rode from Hanksville to Torrey is in my top 10. Great level turns not to tight but they might test the pegs. The only problem is the scenery at that point coming into Capitol Reef NP is so incredible it's hard not to look:eek1.. Torrey to Bryce on hwy 12 is also incredible. If you have any fear if heights that "hogback" section of that road is a tester. I do and that is why I am not attempting 261 out if Mexican Hat..I'm a big fan of guard rails between me and a 1000 ft drop! That whole area might be some of the best in the country. Only problem is looks of summer RV and tour bus traffic. Enjoy...

Click to expand...

Thanks for the info. I have ridden some of these roads before but it's been a long time.

Looking forward to riding a few more twisties with you old buddy. Glad I won't have to drive with you out like we did during our 2005 Moab trip since I now live in northern Utah. It's been a few years since I've been thru the red rocks of southern Utah. The last time unfortunately was in a car and this time it will be wayyyyy more fun on my "classic" 2004 V-Strom 650. See you in June.

Click to expand...

Looking forward to riding with you again. If you have any suggestions go ahead and post them up.

Thanks for checking in. The tank bag is a Nelson Rigg CL 1045 adventure slim. It fit pretty good but isn't real big. I went with a conventional tank bag because I'm not comfortable with a bunch of powerful magnets being near my phone & camera. It is a bit of a hassle taking it off and on compared to a magnetic bag.

As a fellow Versys rider (2011) I am glad to see another vee out there on ADV rider. I am taking a trip to Nova Scotia and PEI in Sept. Looking forward to your ride reports and pictures! Why did you decide not to camp?

Click to expand...

I considered camping but decided it would just be more convenient and comfortable to stay in motels. I am not a real experienced camper. I started camping off my bikes about 4 years ago. Before that I only camped if I was taking the truck with bike and camping gear in the back. It was ride reports on ADV that inspired me to try moto-camping. At this point I'm still working on getting the right gear to make it work. I finally picked up a decent compact sleeping bag last weekend. I still need a tent I can trust in really wet weather.

I was originally thinking of camping at least part of the time but decided my camping gear would take up too much of my available luggage space. I will be camping on some shorter trips later this year.

When you get out that way, consider stopping in at a City Market grocery store and get a loyalty card. It'll save you a little money at their gas station. I got back from Moab a week ago. While there, I got most of my dinners from the City Market; saved some money.

If you're going to ride some of the White Rim Trail, I'd suggest the Shafer Switchback end. The ride out to Musselman Arch will get you a look at some of the most scenic part of the trail and it's much friendlier to a street bike than the other end of the trail.

edit: I found the Latitude 40 maps to be really useful. You can find them everywhere in Moab or order them from www.latitude40maps.com.